Let's Get Started


Program flow for real data cases:



HOWEVER, the successful compilation of the WPS program depends on the successful compilation of the WRF ARW model. The reason for this is that the two programs share common routines, like the WRF I/O API. Therefore, once we have the source code, we will first compile WRF ARW, and then WPS.


Program flow for idealized cases:



Online Compilation Tutorial (Recommended)

If you are working on a personal computer, and are unfamiliar with your system, compilers, libraries, etc., it is advised that you follow our Online Compilation Tutorial webpage. We have put together a page that will help to verify that your system is set up correctly and that you have the necessary compilers. It will also help you to install libraries, such as netCDF and MPICH (for parallel runs), and will ensure that everything is up to date and compatible with one another. It will then help you compile WRF ARW and then WPS. Click on this link to access that page:
http://www2.mmm.ucar.edu/wrf/OnLineTutorial/compilation_tutorial.php

Otherwise, follow the steps below:



Get Source Code

The source code for the WRF ARW model is available from the download page:
http://www2.mmm.ucar.edu/wrf/users/download/get_source.html

NOTE: From the above page, go to either 'New Users', where users will be asked to register (free of charge), or to 'Returning Users', where users must provide their email address in order to verify they have previously registered, prior to obtaining the code again.

You may also want to look at the "Known Problems and Fixes" pages for the latest information regarding bug fixes that have not yet been included in the released code:
   WRF Known Problems ; WPS Known Problems



Obtain Source Code

  • Follow the instructions for obtaining the code from the GitHub repository. Note: the easiest method to obtain code is by using the "git clone" command. If you do choose to download the tar files, you will need to unpack the files (e.g., gunzip WRF.tar.gz and then tar -xf WRF.tar), which will provide the WRF/ and WPS/ directories.
  • Make sure to get the latest WPS code (if you plan to run real data cases). For idealized cases, you only need to obtain the WRF code.


Regardless of whether you are interested in Real or Idealized cases, WRF must be configured and compiled first, so let's start by examining the WRF code.

WRF Code